Arrangement for withdrawing cigarettes from a feed stock, their alignment, grouping and insertion into sleeves, boxes, or the like



Ma 1-, 1951 f J. BAsus 2,551,199 ARRANGEMENT FOR WITHDRAWING CIGARETTES FROM A FEED STOCK,

- THEIR ALIGNMENT, TGROUPING AND INSERTION INTo SLEEVES, BOXES, OR THE LIKE Filed July 6, 194a 2 F 2 Ha' 1 f 7 l6 19 ml 0 9 rs 9 A 1 iii-r: 1 I, ==j=-= I 3 1:. a %Q il 8 6 1? 8 4 6 4 J Fig.5, ,2.

Fig.2. H E I 7 I /a 9 a 19 la MW A I' 6 MM 12 8 Invent f i 'atented May 1, 1951 ARRANGEMENT FOR WITHDRAWING CIGA- RETTES FROM A FEED STOCK, THEIR ALIGNMENT, GROUIING AND INSERTION INTO SLEEVES, BOXES, OR THE LIKE Jii'i Basus, Prague, Czechoslovakia, assignor to Akciova spolecnost drive Skodovy zavody v Plzni, also named Limited Company, formerly The Skodaw'orks' Plzen, Prague, Czechoslovakia, a corporation of Czechoslovakia Application Jilly 6, 1946, Serial No. 681,752 In Czechoslovakia July 3, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires July 3, 1965 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an arrangement for withdrawing cigarettes stacked in separate columns by extracting the undermost layer or layers thereof in rectilinear operation and thereof in rectilinear operation and thereupon aligning and grouping such cigarettes and inserting the same into sleeves, boxes or the like.

Arrangements are shown wherein the cigarettes stacked in columns inside the channels of the chamber of the grouping apparatus are pushed out by expellers, passing through a narrow gap of the bottom and pushing one or more bottom layers of cigarettes outwards onto a desk wherefrom the cigarettes are conveyed. The expellers thereupon normally return beneath the bottom level.

A drawback of the hitherto known arrangement of this kind consists in that the cigarette on being pushed out is braked by the pressure of the stack of the cigarettes superposed resulting in a friction not only against the cigarette above but also in its lower part against the bottom. This friction against the bottom is further increased by the gap for the passage of the expeller into which the cigarette-especially a flat onemay sometimes be caught. Therefore said gap can not be Wide which fact results in another drawback, viz. the expeller can be only of a very small width thus resting on the cigarette merely with a small surface and incidentally damaging the cigarette by squeezing its end.

Other arrangements have been suggested utilizing the return movement of the expeller in such manner that the latter pushes the cigarettes outwards in both directions. It is obvious that such an arrangement presents an essential advantage which, however, in the hitherto existing devices of this kind has not been utilized to the full, for the reason that each side pushes the cigarettes out and fills therewith another sleeve, or box or the cigarettes are introduced on two different conveyors wherefrom the cigarettes have to be brought together or again in other cases each side is working independentl up to the complete packing, i. e. the device works as two machines having one feed chamber so that the production cost of the machine is substantially increased.

The arrangement according to the present invention eliminates all the above mentioned drawbacks.

The prificiple of the arrangement according to the present invention consists in that the cigarettes are pushed out of the channels by common or separate projections of a reciprocating bottom of the channels, the cigarettes thus ex- 2 pelled being retained during the return movement of the bottom and thereupon fall on a desk where they are aligned in a manner known per se and thereupon in the following position are pushed out by the continuous front of the bottom during its further advance. If the cigarettes are pushed out of the channels alternately in both directions then on the bottom being moved in the one direction a first layer or group of cigarettes is inserted into the sleeve or box directly or through the medium of further expellers moving along with the bottom, whilsta second layer or group of cigarettes is inserted into the same sleeve or box on the bottom being moved in the opposite direction.

The arrangement according to the present invention presents the following advantages:

The cigarettes on being pushed out of the channels are not hindered to such an extent, as there is no friction between the cigarette and the bottom. The cigarettes are pushed out by the action of a projection of the bottom which projection is not narrow but occupies the entire width of the channel. Therefore the contact surface between the expeller and cigarette is large enough and any risk of the cigarette ends being damaged is thus prevented.

The cigarettes thus pushed out fall on the return movement of the bottom onto a desk and on the following advance movementof the bottom are pushed forward by the continuous front of the bottom, i. e. there is no necessity to provide any particular organs to this effect, the active bearing surface bein sufiiciently large and continuous and without any gaps therebetween the cigarettes could be caught as in the case of expellers separated from each other where the cigarette can come in between two expellers and thus cause trouble.

The fact that pushing out the cigarettes at both sides allows of filling one and the same wrapper or box therewith means a substantial simplification of the packing machine, as the cigarettes or filled boxes can be removed only at one place and may be packed and conveyed in one stream thus enabling the design of the machine to be sustantiall simplified so as to spare an entire packing apparatus.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example only, one embodiment of the arrangement according to this invention. Fig. 1 shows a side elevational view of the apparatus with a moveable bottom of the channels being in its extreme right-hand position, Whilst Fig. 2 shows a side elevational view of the apparatus with the moveable bottom in its position half-way between the extreme positions after leaving the extreme right-hand position. Fig. 3 illustrates an elevational view of the apparatus, partially in section as indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows an elevation of the bottom in the arrangement of the latter for expelling the cigarettes to one side out of the chambers.

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of a one-sided bottom.

movable partitions 2, is mounted on a desk 3 (Figs. 1 to 4), fixed on a hollow cylindrical upright 4 forming part of a support not illustrated in the drawing. On the upright 4 a pivotal driving gear 5 is supported and connected suitably through arms 6 to sleeves 1. Said sleeves are moving in a circular path about the centre of the upright 4 and will be stopped in a known manner according to requirements at determined points e. g. for receiving a layer or group of cigarettes. The sleeves I are supported in the arms 8 so as to be capable of vertical displacement thus changing their height in accordance with the size of the cigarettes to be inserted.

The displacement of said sleeves such as cigarette boxes or other assembling containers in a vertical direction may be achieved in different manners. In the embodiment shown in the drawing (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4) each sleeve 1 is attached to a supporting bolt 22 which is permitted to slide in a vertical direction in the socket 23 arranged at the outer end of the arm 6. The lower free ends of the bolts 22 rest upon and slide along the inclined upper surface of a circular ring 8 and during such sliding movement cause the intended vertical displacement of the sleeves l which thereby are placed in different altitudes. The upward movement is achieved by the pressure of the inclined surface of the ring 8, and the downward movement by th dead weight of the sleeve and bolt.

The bottom 9 of the feed chamber I is formed by a reciprocating plate having a transversely extending projection I I acting as an expeller for the cigarettes from the feed chamber I (Figs. 1-4). The vertical partitions 2 forming a plurality of cigarette receiving spaces within the feed chamber I ma extend either to the surface of the bottom 9, or they may extend beyond, as shown in the drawing, penetrating longitudinal slots ID in the bottom 9 (Figs. 4-8). The bottom 9 with the expeller II performs a uniform rectilinear reciprocating movement actuated by a suitable driving mechanism not shown in the drawing. This mechanism acts upon the swing lever I2 pivoted at I3 to a slide block I4 which reciprocates upon the slide plate I6 resting on the desk 3 and which supports the bottom plate 9 by means of the web I5. Two display desks I8, situated just below the reciprocating bottom 9, are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the feed chamber I and are supported by brackets I l which are attached to the desk 3 at each of its ends. Upon these desk plates I8 the cigarettes are removed from the feed chamber I and spread out for further packaging.

The cigarettes grouped in the vertical channels of the feed chamber I, e. g. in five side-by-side piles (Figs. 3, 4) rest on the bottom 9. The front and the rear walls of the chamber do not extend down to the bottom but only to such a height as to enable only the required number of cigarettes-in the case illustrated only one cigaretteto pass through.

Suppose the case that the bottom 9 occupies the position shown in Fig. 1. Now the bottom is moving to the left so that the expellers II abuts against the undermost cigarettes in all piles which cigarettes are occupying the position I and pushes them outwards to a position He (Figs. 1, 2) Thus at the end of their path the expellers II are brought over to the other side of the chamber I so that the cigarette piles I descend again to rest upon the bottom 9.

After having reached the extreme left-hand position the bottom 9 returns again to the right and its expellers II are pushing the undermost cigarettes outwards from position I to the position III). The cigarettes lying in position IIa are unable to return, as the lowered hooks I9 prevent such movement, as can be seen in Fig. 2, position IIb, where the bottom is shown on its movement to the left. As soon as the bottom 9 reaches its extreme right-hand position, the cigarettes in the position IIa fall into the grooves of the desk I8 and on the bottom 9 moving to the left are pushed by the front of the bottom either to a further position or are during such movement inserted directly into the sleeve I as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

The same action occurs at the right side where the cigarettes expelled by the movement to the right fall on the right-hand desk I8 and on the further movement are inserted directly into the sleeve placed against said desk.

The hooks I9 which are either common to all the cigarettes operated upon or individual for each cigarette, may perform a positive upward and downward movement or may act through a spring or by gravity as is shown in the drawing. On the cigarettes being pushed out of the chamber they lift the hooks I9 (Fig. 2, hooks I9 to the left) and pass underneath. Immediately after the cigarette or cigarettes have passed, the hooks fall by gravity behind the cigarettes dealt upon (see hook I9 at the right side in Fig. 1) and while the bottom moves back retain the cigarettes so that the same pass from the bottom onto the desk (see the hook I9 on the right side in Fig. 2).

This whole operating cycle, i. e. the displacement of a cigarette layer out of the feed chamber from position I onto the position II, the displacement of the preceding cigarette layer from position II into the sleeve 1 or package is effected simultaneously on the rectilinear bottom movement from one extreme position into the other. The positions 11a and III) are arranged symmetrically with respect to the feed chamber.

As can be seen from Fig. 4 the sleeve opposite to the position IIa receives a cigarette layer by the movement of the bottom to the left. The sleeve thus partially filled advances in the path of the ring 8 in the direction of the shown arrow to further positions until it reaches a position opposite the position IIb where it receives a second cigarette layer. To this effect the sleeve is either along its way or at any interruption of its movement lowered, as is indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the embodiment described, the bottom 9,

its movement and the position through which it passes are in one horizontal plane and the sleeves 1 are vertically displaced in order to place the cigarettes correctly therein.

As already mentioned, the arrangement illustrated is an embodiment of the invention where the bottom of the feed chamber pushes the cigarettes outwards to both sides. However, the movable bottom may be also used for expelling the cigarettes to one side only.

In such case the bottom plate 9 does not have the earlier described cross elevation H but has a graded surface as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. During the backward movement of the bottom plate 9 the lowermost layer of cigarettes resting upon the higher part of the graded bottom surface is withheld by the back wall of the feed chamber, so that the bottom plate 9 moves underneath said lowermost layer of cigarettes and the latter come to rest upon the lower part of the graded botttom surface and are removed from the feed chamber during the return movement of the bottom plate 9 by the ridge between the graded surface parts to which they abut.

The face wall of the bottom plate which pushes the cigarettes from the display desk l8 into the sleeves or other assembling containers 1 may sometimes advantageously be enlarged by projections 2i! as shown in Figs. 5, 6, '7, and 8 so that each cigarette abuts a larger surface. The upper surface of the bottom plate 9 may either be plane or longitudinally grooved as shown in Fig. 8 each groove corresponding to one column of cigarettes in the feed chamber l.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the type described for distributing cigarettes from a container the improvement comprising in combination partitions within said container forming separate feed channels for the cigarettes, a reciprocating plate forming the bottom of the container and driving means effecting the reciprocating movement of said bottom plate lengthwise to the cigarettes, the length of the bottom plate being at least about double the length of the cigarettes, a passage in each lateral wall of the container above the reciprocating bottom plate permitting the lowermost layer of cigarettes in the feed chamber to pass lengthwise through, expelling means arranged in about the middle of the bottom plate transversely thereto and acting upon the lowermost layer of cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate during its forward and return movements, stationary display desks arranged nearly below the bottom plate in its outermost positions beyond the said passages, arresting means acting upon the ends of the cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate in its outermost positions and forcing the said cigarettes to slide from the returning bottom plate upon one of the display desks and beyond the same to a plurality of assembling containers into which the said cigarettes are pushed by one of the head faces of the reciprocating bottom plate during its following forward movement, said plurality of assembling containers moving in a circular path around the display desks and means to effect such movement.

2. In an apparatus of the type described for distributing cigarettes from a container the improvement comprising in combination partitions within said container forming separate feed channels for the cigarettes, a reciprocating plate forming the bottom of the container and driving 6 means effecting the reciprocating movement of said bottom plate lengthwise to the cigarettes, the length of the bottom plate being at least about double the length of the cigarettes, a passage in each lateral wall of the container above the reciprocating bottom plate permitting the lowermost layer of cigarettes in the feed chamber to pass lengthwise through, expelling means arranged in about the middle of the bottom plate transversely thereto and acting upon the lowermost layer of cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate during its forward movement, stationary display desks arranged nearly below the bottom plate in its outermost positions beyond the said passages, arresting means acting upon'the ends of the cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate in its outermost position and forcing the said cigarettes to slide from the returning bottom plate upon one of the display desks, and beyond the same to a plurality of assembling containers into which the said cigarettes are pushed by one of the head faces of the reciprocating bottom plate during its following forward movement, said plurality of assembling containers moving in a circular path around the display desks, means to effect such movement, each assembling container being displaceable also in vertical direction to its circular path and means to eifect said vertical displacement of the assembling container so that each assembling container in its opposing position while facing a display desk attains elevations differing by the height of a cigarette layer.

3. In an apparatus of the type described for distributing cigarettes from a container the improvement comprising in combination partitions within said container forming separate feed channels for the cigarettes, a reciprocating plate forming the bottom of the container and driving means effecting the reciprocating movement of said bottom plate lengthwise to the cigarettes, the length of the bottom plate being at least about double the length of the cigarettes, a passage in each lateral wall of the container above the reciprocating bottom plate permitting the lowermost layer of cigarettes in the feed chamber to pass lengthwise through, expelling means arranged in about the middle of the bottom plate transversely thereto and acting upon the lowermost layer of cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate during its forward movement, stationary display desks arranged nearly below the bottom plate in its outermost position beyond the said passages, arresting means acting upon the ends of the cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate in its outermost position and forcing the said cigarettes to slide from the returning bottom plate upon one of the display desks, and beyond the same to a plurality of assembling containers into which the said cigarettes are pushed by one of the head faces of the reciprocating bottom plate during its following forward movement, said plurality of assembling containers moving in a circular path around the display desks, means to effect such movement, each assembling container being displaceable also in vertical direction to its circular path, and means to lower each assembling container while on its circular path attaining a position facing the second display desk by the height of one cigarette layer.

4. In an apparatus of the type described for distributing cigarettes from a container the im.- provement comprising in combination partitions within said container forming separate feed channels for the cigarettes, a reciprocating plate forming the bottom of the container and driving gem-ace 7 means efiec-ting the reciprocating movement of said. bottom plate lengthwise to the cigarettes, the length of the bottom plate being atl'east about double the length ofthe cigarettes, a passage in each lateral wall of the container above the reciprocating bottom plate permitting the lowermost layer of cigarettes in the feed chamber to passlengthwise through, expelling means arranged in about the middle of the bottom plate transversely thereto and acting upon the lowermost layer of cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate during its forward movement, stationary display desks arranged nearly below the bottom plate in its outermost position beyond the said passages, arresting means acting upon the ends of the cigarettes reposing on the bottom plate in its outermost position and forcing the said cigarettes to slide from the returning bottom plate upon one of the display desks, and beyond the same to a plurality of assembling containers into which the said cigarettes are pushed bybne of the head faces of the reciprocating bottom plate during its following forward movement, said plurality of assembling containers moving in a circular path around the display desks, means to effect such movement, the said circular path and the plane in which the bottom plate reciprocates 8 being so in'clined against each other that each assembling container in its opposing positions while facing a display desk attains elevations with regard to the display desks differing by the height of a cigarette layer. v

JIRI BAs s.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,230,811 Shippe June 19, 1917 1,769,650 Rose July 1, 1930 1,834,723 Neff Dec. 1, 1931 1,888,831 Nerf Nov. 22, 1932 2,095,938 Schmitt Oct. 12, 1937 2,121,187 Qrighton June 21, 1938 2,241,072 Raschke' et a1. May 6, 1941 2,320,650 Popov June 1-, 1943 2,344,087 Hetz Mar. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 343,589 Great Britain Feb. 23, 1931 559,704 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1944 

